At this point, four phases in, Kevin Feige and Marvel Studios have enlisted dozens of Hollywood A-listers for the MCU frontlines. And big-name actors want to work for the franchise juggernaut too, but there remain a few names that haven’t yet made their first Marvel appearance. Enter Keanu Reeves. The “John Wick” and “The Matrix” star is a natural fit for MCU, on top of being a diehard fan of Marvel comics. So, if he were to sign on as a Marvel hero in the future, who would Reeves like to play?
EW reports that Reeves answered that question on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Wednesday night, and it’s a no-brainer. When asked which Marvel character a 10-year-old version of himself would like to play, the actor responded, “10-year-old Reeves would want to – I think he’d probably want to be Ghost Rider.” That’s a match made in fandom heaven. Marvel fans have long clamored for Reeves to be cast as Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, the motorcycle-riding, leather jacket-wearing, flaming skull-headed superhero. There’s just one problem, though. Nicolas Cage last played the character in the 2007 film and its 2011 sequel.
Marvel has recast characters over the years, though, and the two Cage “Ghost Rider” films aren’t precisely MCU canon, so Reeves could get the part in some later Phase in the coming years. But Reeves isn’t the only actor who’s expressed interest in the character. Both Norman Reedus and Ryan Gosling have stated they would love to play Ghost Rider in a future MCU film. In fact, even Kevin Feige dropped a hint earlier this year that he may like Gosling in the part.
But this is all speculation at this point. With the upcoming addition of Blade (another technical recasting, with Mahershala Ali taking over the part from Wesley Snipes) and other horror-tinged heroes to the MCU, a new rendition of Ghost Rider feels inevitable, but it’s not a given. But there’s mutual interest on Feige and Reeves’ part for him to join the MCU in some capacity, whether it’s as Ghost Rider or not. Feige told Comicbook.com in 2019 that “we very much want to figure out the right way” to include Reeves in the future of the MCU. How that happens, though, remains to be seen.
As for Reeves, a lifelong Marvel fan, he’ll continue to admire the MCU from afar while he waits to join. “It’s really cool,” he told Kimmel about the Marvel movies. “I think the way that the Marvel films have developed and what they are is really spectacular and it would be great to be a part of that.” And maybe the most logical way for Reeves to be part of it would be to play Berzerker, the comic character he created for his graphic novel series “BRZRKR” that’d modeled on his likeness. “To be fair, I’m really right for the role!” he joked with Kimmel about the character. “It’s almost like typecasting. I’m like, really right for it.”
Whatever happens, it sounds like Feige and Reeves will find a way to slot him into the MCU’s future. Who Reeves will play, though, is still up in the air.
